An optical modulator is an example of an optical component that makes use of a heater. The heater is typically operated so as to keep the modulator at a constant temperature or is operated so as to tune the working wavelength of the modulator. These heaters are typically associated with an undesirably large level of optical loss. Further, these heaters are typically positioned on the top of a ridge waveguide that can have a width on the order of 1 micron. The small width of these waveguides results in low fabrication tolerances. As a result, there is a need for an improved optical component heater.